Hello Again
by TheGladElf
Summary: Amu may be with Tadase now...but Ikuto isn't worried, because he can sees what no one else can. Slight Spoilerage...sort of...
1. Ikuto

I want her.

And I mean in more than _that_ way.

I want to be her shadow. Her second self. Her protector. To be the one who makes sure she is never hurt, standing between her and danger just like that time. When I am with her I want to be better, stronger, brighter. When she is there, I don't feel so dark.

I want to hold her hand in mine. To spend every day with her and every night next to her.

What I want is to spend our lives together.

I wish I were younger or she were older. That idiot Tadase can confess so easily, and no one thinks he's wrong. People think they're cute together. But me? If I were to say anything, I'd be the worst kind of villain—so I can never do more than joke…and she—she wouldn't believe me even if I were serious.

Still, she deserves the chance to be with someone her own age. To try to find her own path. So I will settle for glimpses of her happiness.

Utau doesn't understand why I wait and watch. Naïve girl thinks I should do something more. She asks me why I don't make a move before Amu falls completely for the pretend king. She dismisses the fact that Amu has already fallen for him and all his insercurities.

But I ignore Utau. Because I understand something she doesn't. Amu is still growing up, still finding who she wants to be. One day the difference between us won't seem so great. One day she will outgrow her pretend boyfriend. And when that day comes I will be waiting.

Amu…grow up faster.

* * *

Wow...this short. Guess flash fiction doesn't get much flashier than this.

Anyways, Ikuto popped into my head last night and started talking. Made me get up after I was all ready for bed and write this down. Yeah, I'm into Shugo Chara now too. There might, emphasis on the _might_ be another chapter in the makings. Amu was doing some talking, but I was at work so I couldn't write and I don't remember all that she was talking at me.

Anyways, R&R. Pretty please with whipped cream and cherry on top.


	2. Amu

I've missed his violin.

As crazy as life was then, with all the business with Easter and being the Joker…there was Ikuto's violin. I don't know why, but the not knowing, all the business with the X eggs, my own uncertainty—all that went away whenever I heard him play. He truly is a master.

He's on the television right now. Some benefit concert. I wasn't even in the room, but I knew it was him. I was busy worrying about entering high school and then I wasn't. Now, I'm in front of the TV, just listening. And thinking

I can't explain it.

Even if I could I'm not sure I would. Not to Utau-chan. Not to Nagihiko or Rima or Ran or Miki or Su. And definitely not to Tadase-kun. He wouldn't understand.

He never understands.

I mean he does…Maybe it's me that doesn't understand.

He likes me. And I think I like him. That's all that should matter, right? But I keep saying no when he asks me out. I don't know why…

Maybe because, even after all this time, I can't get the idea of him confessing his love for Amulet heart out of my head. He's told me a hundred time that that's not the case anymore. But it's all I can think of every time he says he loves me. That could be why I say no.

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's because I don't understand myself.

Except now as I listen. When I listen to his violin I know exactly what I want…If only I could remember when the playing stops.

* * *

I think this might be my shortest chapter ever. Probably my shortest story ever too. Anyways, I finally got Amu to start talking, but she's not as good at putting her thoughts down on paper as Ikuto. There will be at least one more chapter...soonish. But I want to get this down first.

Please R&R


	3. Second Start

Amu reached up and pulled the barrette out of her hair. She didn't like it. Tomorrow, she would wear her normal one. The one that got her all through elementary school and middle school.

"Aw, I liked it. Put it back," Ran said, trying to pull it out of her hands.

"No," Amu insisted, putting it in her pocket. "I only wore it because Tadase-kun asked me to." Her…Amu wasn't sure what exactly Tadase was…but whatever her was, the former King's Chair was excited about high school. It was their chance to reinvent themselves he said. Most of their new classmates didn't know them. They could be who they wanted to be. All day he'd acted like he was expecting something more of Amu, and she felt like she had to live up to that expectation whenever she was with him. She didn't know what to be. She'd tried to be more friendly than she had in elementary school, she'd known almost everyone when she graduated to middle school, but now, she found her old façade coming back a little. "Phew. I'm glad that's over."

"Maybe tomorrow will be better, desu," Su said, floating up on her other side.

"Hmm," was all that came from Amu. "Miki, what's wrong."

"Listen," the blue character said. Amu stopped, looking in the same direction as Miki. Her head tilted a little.

"I don't—" Amu straightened, a smile coming to her face. "C'mon guys!" She took off, cutting through the streets as she followed the sound. Different things on the route began to register in her mind like landmarks and she began to realize where she was heading. Her footsteps slowed as they hit the cobblestone pathway. "Ikuto." Her voice was hushed. He was exactly where she remembered him being, his violin tucked under his chin. Taller now, but everything else was nearly the same. He still had a penchant for dark colors, the white violin case was at his feet, waiting for its precious cargo.

But now, he was surrounded by people. A crowd had gathered in the park.

"Hey, he looks familiar."

"Silly, that's Ikuto Tsukiyomi! The famous violinist. Come on, let's get closer." One girl drug another past Amu, bright smile lighting up their faces. Feeling self-conscious, Amu half-hid herself behind a tree. It had been four years since she'd actually been sharing the same air with the dark boy. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to stay and try get to him through the crowd or if she would run.

"What are you doing way back here—nya?"

"Ah!" Amu blurted out, whirling around to find Yoru floating behind her. Her four shugos giggled at her flustration. "Y-Yoru!" Looking around she found that those closest to her staring in her direction. "Gomen," she began. "There, um, was a spider," she said softly. They chuckled, and turned back to Ikuto. Following their gaze, Amu settled back to enjoy the rest of the show. He played on for a good half hour, never showing that he knew about the people enjoying the music he was making. The sadness that she'd heard that first time wasn't there. Amu smiled to see the smile on his face. He was having a good time himself it seemed.

Finally, his bow stilled. Politely he bowed to the audience. When he rose, those blue eyes found hers without hesistation. Amu felt like he'd known where she was the entire time.

"Ikuto—nya! Look who's here!" Yoru cried, flying across the distance. With a shrug, Ikuto knelt to carefully put his violin away. Amu took a few halting steps towards him and stopped. She didn't know what that meant. Ikuto's steps were sure as he made his way down the steps and down the path, right past the girl.

"Just like you to make such a racket," he said, stopping just a few feet past her. He turned back to her slightly.

"It's not my fault!" Amu cried. "You shouldn't let Yoru just sneak up on people like that!"

"Ikuto doesn't tell me what to do—nya! I'm a cat—nya." The little cat crossed his arms and tried to look belligerent.

"What is he still doing around, now that I think about," Amu asked, following Ikuto. She ran a few steps ahead, trying to get a better look at his face. "You're an adult now, shouldn't Yoru have disappeared inside you."

"Eh? I don't know, I guess he's just too stubborn," Ikuto sighed.

"It's too much fun out here—nya," Yoru protested. With a jerk of his thumb, Ikuto motioned to the chara, shrugging again. Amu ran a few steps trying to catch up to him again.

"When did you get back, Ikuto? Does Utau know you're here?"

"You ask too many questions," he said, whipping around with cat-like grace. Amu back pedaled, trying not to run into him. "Did you miss me?" he teased, leaning in.

"S-stop it. Don't get so close."

"Perverted child," he replied, ruffling her hair.

"H-hey!"

"Won't your parents get mad if you stay out too late? You should head home."

"Oh, right." Amu turned towards her house to find that Ikuto was already going in that direction. "W-wait up," she cried running after him again. Exchanging glances, the five shugos followed their owners.

* * *

"See you Amu," Ikuto said as they came to her house. He continued on as Amu stopped and let herself in her front gate.

"Amu? Was that that Ikuto boy that was hiding in your room years ago?" her mother asked as Amu came in the door.

"I-I just happened to meet him on the way home," Amu said, crossing her arms. At home, her outer character hadn't changed much. "We were just talking, so he hung around."

"Oh, well, you should invite him over for dinner. Then I'll be able to tell the ladies at my magazine that I had Ikuto Tsukiyomi the famous violinist at my house," her mother cried, going off into her own world.

* * *

Okay, here's the next chapter. Just like I promised, sorry it took so long. I wanted to watch some more of the anime to see if had anything I could use before I actually got to a story. Have no idea where this one's going, though. I mean, you know the general direction. If anyone knows anything about high school in Japan, drop me a message, cause right now all the information I have has come from stuff like Sailor Moon. It's late, so the editing is kinda wonky, I might go back through and edit it for real, or I might no. Haven't decided.

Please R&R. Every bit of feedback is appreciated

Thanks for all the love and support! I'll have another chappie up as soon as the characters start talking to me again!


	4. Falling

"I'm bored—nya?" Yoru whizzed by Ikuto, doing a loop-de-loop before he hovered right in front of the dark-haired man. Ikuto tilted his head to the side so that he would avoid running into the chara. "Ikuto! You're so stubborn—nya!" Still, Ikuto behaved as though he couldn't hear the tiny cat. He knew what the chara wanted to do.

"If you want to go play with the other charas, then go," he said. "People would think it was weird if I suddenly appeared at a high school."

"Nya!" Yoru flew ahead just a little bit, then stopped, turning to rush to inches before Ikuto's face. Remaining that small distance from his owner, Yoru bounced up and down, studying Ikuto's features. "So you do want to go—nya!" Ikuto didn't respond. Turning around, Yoru shrugged and flew off. Ikuto sighed, his feet were already following his chara's path. It had only taken a few questions to find out that Tadase and Amus had gotten accepted to his old high school. It had been days since he'd seen her in the park. He wasn't going to do this. But he was so close to the school, it seemed silly to let this chance pass by. They'd be almost finished with school by now, if the sky was any indication.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Ikuto character changed long enough to hop over the wall and land softly on the grass inside the school grounds. He had often done the reverse while he was a student her.

Not wanting to admit to himself why he was there, Ikuto wandered aimlessly around the school grounds. Not much had changed since he'd graduated and gone off to attempt his father's dream.

"Amu-chan, be careful. There are steps up ahead," a familiar little voice called out. Ikuto rounded the corner to find Amu with a stack of books trying to make it down flagstone steps. She was grumbling something about her teacher, while all four of her charas flitted around her head shouting out instructions.

"Urgh! Be quiet already, it's hard enough to find where to put my foot without you whizzing all around and distracting," Amu shouted.

"Amu! There you are—nya?" Yoru came, flying out from the trees, causing Amu to start and try to turn in the direction of the hyper chara.

"Yoru, wha—Ah!" she cried as her foot slipped. The stack of books wobbled unsteadily before falling from her arms to crash on the ground. Amu was more fortunate.

"You have a thing for falling," Ikuto said, setting her down on the ground. "Be more careful, Amu."

"Ikuto!" Ikuto looked away, trying not to let on how fast that fall had gotten his heart beating. If he hadn't been there… "Ikuto," Amu began a little more sedately as she knelt to pick up the books she'd dropped. "What are you doing here?" The dark man crouched beside her, helping to gather them.

"I thought I'd take a look around, see some of the places I used to hang out," Ikuto said, ignoring Amu when she gestured for him to put the books he had back on her stack. Instead, he continued in the direction that she'd been going. "It seems you still haven't made up your mind."

"Huh?"

"You still have four charas, it seems to you still haven't decided who you want to be."

"Hmph, you still have Yoru around, so what does that say about you?" she retorted, running to catch up to the long-legged man. Ikuto smiled, she was as easily riled as ever.

"Oi, Amu-chan!"

"Ta-Tadase-kun!" Amu replied, pasting a bright smile on her face.

"Amu-chan... Tsukiyomi Ikuto." Tense air filled the pause. _Good, he's been thinking about what I said before I left. "_I didn't know you were back," the blond boy said. Ikuto nodded.

"See you, Amu," he said, dumping his books in the little prince's arms, though he was not quite so little now. "Tadase."

* * *

I know, I took sooooo long. Gomen. I was waiting for things to form themselves into some kind of plot, and they did! Yeah...Amu and Ikuto are talking to me again. I hope to have the next chappie up soon.

Please R&R


	5. Flashback

"Oi, Ikuto. I heard you're leaving," Tadase said, running up to the eighteen-year-old. Ikuto looked up from the window display he'd been looking in. People faded in and out of his peripheral vision.

"Yeah, what of it?" Ikuto replied. The blonde boy shrugged. Ikuto sighed. "I want to see what will happen if I try to follow my father's music. I want to see if I can make a living at it."

"Oh." Ikuto glanced down at the boy who had been like his younger brother. Things between them were a little less constrained than they had been. Amu seemed to tie them together inescapably.

"Tadase…" Ikuto began. "Hmm, I'm sorry to say this when you're just getting able to stand being around me again, but don't think you can sit back and just take her." Tadase's blue eyes zeroed in on Ikuto. There were parts of that night on the rooftop that they didn't talk about, mostly the parts concerning Ikuto and what he'd said to Amu. "I'm not fighting for her, the difference in our ages is too much, now. But one day it won't be so big, and on that day I will fight for her." _And I will win_. Ikuto leaned in close to Tadase, the smirk coming off his face. "I'll be waiting and watching, Tadase. Hurt her and I will find you." And then Ikuto melted into the crowd, leaving the pretend king dumbfounded.

*

"Tadase-kun?" Tadase's eyes focused back on the present, taking his eyes away from where Ikuto had stood just a few minutes ago, he looked at the girl standing next to him.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, you just weren't there for a minute."

"Sorry, Amu-chan. I was thinking." Amu smiled brightly at him. "What was that about?"

"No idea," Amu said, omitting the fact that Ikuto had saved her from falling flat on her behind. With a sigh, she continued on to the library.

* * *

I know it's short, but here you go!

Please R&R


	6. Flashing Lights

"Baka—nya? What are you leaving her there with him for!" Yoru had worked himself into a mighty frenzy. The little chara was moving faster than Ikuto had ever seen him leave, pumping his arms up and down to emphasize each word he yelled. Ikuto just ducked his head and kept walking down the street.

"Oi, give it a rest Yoru," Ikuto muttered, careful not to raise his voice to a level that would be audible to a passerby.

"But why else did we come back—nya?"

"I was bored." He stopped at the light, waiting for the signal to cross the street. "Besides, she still hasn't made up her mind. Until she knows what she wants, it would be wrong for me to interfere." Yoru humphed and became still. Ikuto sighed. Ahead of him the lights changed, the woman beside him started to cross.

Screeching and grinding preceded a loud crash. The dark man's reflexes were quick enough that he was able to grab the person beside him and get out of the way as a stopped car was thrust past them and into the oncoming traffic. Five different people were already on their cellphones dialing 119, and several others had theirs in hand. Ikuto helped the woman up off the ground, surveying the wreckage. Crushed between several vehicles was a car he recognized. Amu's car.

Jumping over the cars into the mess was quick work for Ikuto. He peered in the window, but save for the driver the car was empty. Ikuto took a deep breath, and walked around to see which of Amu's parents was lying unconscious on the steering wheel. Ikuto had only seen Amu's father once, when he had peeked in on her middle school graduation, but once was enough.

"Hinamori-san? Can you hear me?" he called through the broken window. Shards of glass decorated Mr. Hinamori, mixing with the blood on his face. Leaning closer, Ikuto could see that the man was still breathing at least. Sirens could be heard in the distance as the other drivers began to extricate themselves from their cars. Ikuto straightened, bent on getting his phone to contact Amu and her mother. He froze. He smelled gas. Shouting, the violinist reached through the broken glass and unlocked the car, wrenching the door open. Amu's father was covered in blood, ignoring it, Ikuto tried to pull the man from the car as quickly and carefully as he could. The scent was getting stronger. Around them the other drivers were scrambling to get away, herding children or loved ones to the sidewalks. Grabbing Amu's father in his arms, Ikuto character changed and leapt away from the odorous car. A moment later, the Hinamori's car erupted in flames. People hit the street, parents covering children, hands flying to protect heads as debris rained down. Firefighters arrived a moment later.

"This man is hurt badly!" Ikuto shouted at the paramedics.

*

"That was a brave thing you did there," the paramedic said as Mr. Hinamori was loaded in the ambulance. "Most people would have waited for us to get there, you saved his life and a lot of others." Ikuto shrugged.

"I know his daughter." Ikuto shrugged. "Ah, have you contacted the family yet?"

"No, they usually do that at the hospital, but if you know the family…Climb in, your girlfriend probably going to need you support. It doesn't look good."

"She's not my girlfriend," Ikuto grumbled, but he climbed in anyways.

*

He found Amu sitting in a corner to herself. Her mother was hovering just outside the OR doors, pacing back and forth and then turning to look as if expecting the doctors to come out. The mother and daughter had arrived at the hospital after dropping Amu's younger sister off at a friend's house for the night. Tender skin circled her eyes, dragging her face down into gloom. She hadn't even gotten a chance to change out of her school uniform before running to the hospital. She looked up as Ikuto's shadow fell over her, the tears in her eyes disappeared when he blocked the light but her whole face said they were still there. With a sigh, Ikuto tossed her one of the juice boxes he'd just bought and sat down next to her. Placing an arm around her, he pulled her head onto his shoulder.

"I'm scared," she whispered, clutching at his shirt.

"I know."

* * *

Gah! It's so hard to write Ikuto because he's so frustratingly silent. He's worse than Batman...But here it is. Chapter Six. Yeah! Writing two stories at the same time...Fun. No make that...well, sigh...let's just say I have too many voices and only some of them were created by me. For anyone here who has been following "If You Only Knew" and it's subsequent sequel, I'm about to got type up the first chapter of part three...tonight or tomorrow. It's amazing what you can get done while you're pretending to take notes in class.

Anyways, please R&R


	7. Go Home

He didn't know why he'd come by this way. It was too early in the morning to be at a school he no longer had to go to just to run into someone he knew wouldn't be coming. Amu was probably still in bed. After Mr. Hinamori had gotten out of the OR, Ikuto had offered to walk Amu home so that at least she could get some sleep. She shouldn't be coming to school today, and yet he was leaning against the wall waiting for her anyway.

Because he knew she would come.

"Ikuto? What are you doing here?" There she was, looking up at him with big tired eyes.

"Nothing. How's your dad?" he asked, falling into step behind her.

"We don't know yet," she replied looking down. "Mom is staying at the hospital, so I'll have to walk Ami home up before work."

"You have a job?"

"Yeah, just a part-time for pocket change," Amu said, fiddling with her bag. She was still staring at her shoes. Yesterday he'd thought she looked very rebellious in his old school's dark uniform. But now it just seemed to drag her even further down. _She looks best in bright colors_.

"Oi, Amu, watch where you're going or you'll walk right past the school." Amu stopped. Her head came up, they were at the gate. The pink-haired girl reminded him of a small child being drug into a horror house by an adventurous older sibling. Taking her hand he pulled her out of the view of the other students. "Are you sure you want to do this? Nobody'll blame you for going back home. Or going to be with your parents." Amu shook her head.

"Then I'd have to explain to Tadase and Nagihiko. And I don't feel like doing that," she paused. "Besides, the Amu everyone knows would just smile and keep going like nothing is wrong. She'd come to school anyways and then faithfully go visit her dad afterwards. And, she doesn't cry…and—and I don't want anyone to worry." _Why am I telling him this?_

"Baka. Nobody is expecting that but you. They'll understand," he said. She didn't look good at all. Her face was white as a geisha's and it looked as if Miki had gotten the urge to paint two purple moons under her eyes. "Where are your charas anyways? They should be telling you this not me."

"I left Dia with mom, just in case and the others are with Ami. She was upset, so I sent them to school with her. I gotta go." Ikuto growled to himself, he shouldn't care this much. He towered over her, backing her into the wall.

"Amu, you're going to make yourself sick. I bet you've been up all night worrying." He knew had been. "If you're not going to go home voluntarily…" Why was he acting so out of character. This hadn't been a problem before. Someone dug into his shoulder, pulling him away from the girl.

"Stop bothering Amu." It was Tadase. Ikuto let himself get pushed aside. "Are you okay?" he asked turning to her. The girl nodded, smiling at him. The fake prince smiled back, but there was a sincerity in his smile that was a little lacking in hers. Just like the one she given yesterday. It made Ikuto sick. How could this boy say he loved her and fail to notice that she was smiling just because she thought that was what he wanted to see.

"We were just arguing," she said. He could see her weighing her options, deciding whether to mention her father. Instead, she turned back to Ikuto. "I'm sorry for provoking you." And with that she and Tadase walked through the gates and into the school.

"Amu, where are your charas?"

"Oh, well, um you see…" Ikuto turned and walked away before he had to listen to what Amu came up with.

*

"Hey, Amu," Tadase started. His girlfriend was not paying attention. She was sitting at her desk staring out the window. "Amu," he called a little louder. The teacher would be coming in soon, and he wanted to talk to her before.

"Huh? Oh sorry," she said, smiling again.

"You okay, you look tired."

"Yeah, I just lost track of time reading last night," she replied. Her eyes glanced to the front of the room. Tadase turned around, thinking the teacher had come in, but no, they were still waiting for her.

"Hey, you wanna go do something tonight?" Amu shook her head.

"No, I have work remember."

"But it's only until eight, right? I could walk you home from work and we could hang out at your place." Again, Amu shook her head apologetically.

"Sorry, mom needs me to be doing some stuff around home. Some other time maybe."

"Hotori! Take your seat please." With a sigh, Tadase went to his desk. Why was getting Amu out on a date so difficult? Ah well, he'd just try again another day.

* * *

I think this might be my longest fanfic to date. Anyways, here it is, chapter seven I hope you like it.

Please R&R.


	8. Safe

Amu was exhausted when she got home from work that night.

"I'm home. Ami? You there?" she yelled, leaving her shoes on the floor. There was a shout from the direction of her sister's room.

"Amu?" her mother's voice floated out from the kitchen. The one word hooked into and she followed the voice like a fish on a line. Her mother was sitting at the table, a bowl of steaming packaged soup before her. She was bleary-eyed, and her hair was all awry, but she wasn't crying at least.

"When did you come home? How's dad?" Amu went over to the pot on the stove, there was a little soup left. Pouring it into a bowl she joined her mother.

"He's stable. They're keeping him sedated for a little while, but they said he should make it through the night. I came to get a shower and change before I went back to the hospital. And food." Amu nodded, scooting her chair closer to her mother. Her mom hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head as she stood. With a sigh, Amu got up too. She was ready for bed.

"Good night, Mom."

Her legs did not want to climb those stairs. Amu was sure that she would have to crawl up the last two steps, but somehow she made it to her bedroom. Opening her door, she looked at her pajamas draped over the back of her chair and decided they were too much work. Pulling her covers back, she fell across her bed, burying her face in the pillow. Somewhere, she could hear Ran snoring; so her charas had managed to make it home alright.

Going to sleep this early felt slightly ridiculous. She had schoolwork she should be doing. But her eyes didn't want to stay open and worse, if she stayed awake any longer Amu was afraid she would start crying. Sighing she turned away from the wall—and froze. There was a back pressed against her sliding glass door, and a dark head of hair. Amu was awake again. Throwing her legs out of the bed, she stormed over and practically threw the door. Ikuto fell backwards into her room.

"What are you doing sitting on my balcony?" she demanded as the man stared up at her in surprise. Her voice managed to remain at a hushed roar.

"I came to ask about your father," he replied sitting back up.

"Oh." Sheep-faced, looked at the ground. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Ikuto reached up to rub at the back of his head. Seeing him there on her floor, acting like his cat-like self Amu felt twelve years old all over again. And yet, this felt totally different than that time he'd holed up in her room four years ago.

"I'll go get you some ice," she whispered. Tiptoeing out her door, she headed back down into the kitchen. Down the hall, she could hear her mother in the shower. She grabbed a plastic baggy and quickly threw some ice into it. Almost out into the hallway, she remembered to grab a towel to wrap around the bag. "Here," she said, handing it to him as she reentered her room. Ikuto had already taken the chair at her desk. At least he hadn't claimed the bed like last time.

"So, your dad?"

"Mom says that he's stable. She came home for a shower and stuff before she headed back to the hospital," Amu replied, sitting on the bed and pulling her knees to her chest. Ikuto nodded.

"That's good. Have you told anyone else yet?" Amu shook her head.

"I don't work again for a couple of days anyways. Hopefully this'll all be done by then." She plucked at the edge of her pant leg. "Why didn't you just call," she asked looking up at him.

"I don't know," he said, pulling the ice away from his head for a minute. "It would have been safer apparently." Dark eyes met light. "I shouldn't be here," he sighed.

"Why?" She stopped. The question had come out of its own accord. Ikuto stood, coming to lean over her.

"Because, silly child, I'm twenty-one when you're what—sixteen? Think about how that would look, me with all my worldly knowledge in your room." Amu blushed. "Perverted child." The girl stuck her tongue out at him.

"Seventeen or twenty-one, Ikuto is still the same," she replied. Ikuto laughed.

"How do you know I haven't become a perverted old man since I left?"

"You always were a perverted old man," came her retort, followed by a sigh. Reaching up, she tugged at her hail, pulling out the rubber band that had kept it away from her face.

"Amu, are you okay?" Ikuto asked. The girl looked back up at him, and was struck suddenly by how close he was. For a moment, her mind started the journey _there_, but her mind dismissed that quickly. _He wouldn't want me. _And that wasn't what she really wanted. Maybe she should have told Tadase. It would have been nice to have a shoulder to cry on, and strong arms wrapped around her. But she stopped there, the idea of Tadase seeing her cry somehow seemed wrong. She didn't want him to see her weak like that. "Earth to Amu. I asked you a question." She nodded, looking away again. Strong hands grabbed her arms, pulling her off the bed. Instinctively her arms flew around him as he enveloped her in a tight hug. "It'll all be okay. I'm sure your dad will be fine," he said gently. Her face pressed against him, she nodded. Letting go, he walked back towards the door. "Get some sleep, Amu. Oh, and don't forget to lock your door." The girl's nod was lost on him as he turned and left her balcony. She stood there in the middle of her room, not quite sure what had just happened only that she felt a tiny bit better now.

And then she went to lock the glass door before the tears came.

* * *

Hehe...I'm enjoying this and apparently ya'll are too. So far this is my second most popular story. Yeah! I feel so writerly. So keep the feed back coming!


	9. Almost Too Late

Amu had hoped that life would return to normal within a few days of her father's accident, but normal was not given a chance to make an appearance. The damage done to her father's body had been almost more than he could handle. It seemed that every time the doctors contemplated moving him out of ICU some alarm would go off or _another _organ would try to give out on them. Problem piled upon problem and Amu found herself being left in the sole charge of her younger sister as her mother frequented the hospital with a frantic devotion, as though simply her presence could keep her husband alive.

The elder sister was terrified. Her parents had always been there when she needed them, but now she was left alone. She had visited the hospital to see her father once and it had only added to the weight of what was smothering her. But she continued to smile. She told Ami that their mom was busy helping the doctors get dad better. When her friends found out about her dad's accident, she girded herself with her brave grin and told them that he was going to be fine, but thanks for the concern. No really, she didn't need Rima's help with homework and Tadase didn't need to walk her home, everything was fine. Her friends at school had questioned her briefly, but when she persisted with her usual routine, they relaxed.

Even when her boss had offered to give her some time off to help her parents, Amu had refused. He thought everything was fine, but the truth was that Amu dreaded idle hours. She couldn't gather enough courage to be of any help to her mother at the hospital and she didn't trust herself to her own devices.

And she was late today, on top of all that.

"Gomen," Amu said to her boss as she rushed inside, dragging her little sister. "I got delayed at school." Her boss just gave her a reassuring glance, his friendly eyes telling that he understood that she was doing the best she could. "I didn't have time to get Ami home before I came, would it be alright if she just sits in the back? I can have my mother come and get her when they don't need her at the hospital."

"Don't worry about it," the older man said. "Let your mom stay where she's needed." He gestured to an empty booth in the back of the restaurant. Ami quietly slipped back to it and sat there for the rest of the evening while her sister worked, contenting herself with the company of Amu's charas. Another of Amu's personas slipped out as she waited on her customers. The smile was a little less forced, this was her turf, she had a handle on what she was doing. The shy defiance was unneeded and unwelcome here, so Amu let herself open a little with each customer, trying to be more friendly that she was usually inclined.

One of the other girls called in sick and Amu was more than willing to stay and help until nine. Her mom wouldn't be home from the hospital until late, if at all. She felt slightly guilty considering it was school night, but her sister didn't seem to mind being allowed to stay out later than normal. Finally, with nighttime firmly settled around the city, the two sisters began their trek home. The air was starting to get that nip in it that meant cold weather was coming, clutching her sister's hand tighter Amu tried to hurry.

Something about the darkness felt wrong.

The sixth sense that Ikuto had forced her to develop in elementary school was tingling. Amu looked around, half expecting to see the young man perched on a rooftop, but he wasn't there. Just a guy standing just outside the full glow of the streetlights. It was too late for her to cross to the other side of the road, so she just looked on ahead as they passed, trying not to arouse any more attention than she already did as a sixteen-year-old walking down the sidewalk with her little sister. Footsteps followed her a few minutes later. Casually she tried to pick up her pace, they were halfway home, maybe he would get tired of following them.

No, home would be a bad idea. There was no one there, she would need to go somewhere else. Tadase-kun's house, that was close by…ish. But he would be home, and his parents would be there. It would be safe. At the right street she turned, he was still there behind them when she looked. Closer now.

"Hey!" the voice was harsh. "Hold up girl I just want to talk with you."

Amu ignored him, the footsteps fell heavy now, he'd picked up his pace to match hers. To overtake hers. Ami didn't understand quite all that was happening, but she was starting to get scared. Amu slid her arm around her sister, pushing the younger girl in front of her slightly. Just before her other arm was grabbed.

"I said wait!" the man growled.

"Run, Ami!" Amu yelled. "Get hel--" A hand clamped over her mouth, fingers nails, which she imagined were underlined with dirt, dug into the skin on one side of her face. She tried to grab at him, to kick, to claw, to anything that might get her free. But he was stronger than her. He was dragging her back from where she'd come. There was an alley not too many feet away and that's where he must be headed. If he got her back there she knew it was all over for her. She wouldn't be able to stop what happened. Her charas where whizzing here and there, but there was no benefit in character changing now. This was full grown human, not some X-character she just needed to lock on. She drove her teeth into the hand at her mouth.

"GO!" she bellowed at the charas. They whizzed off after Ami in the direction of Tadase-kun's house. The vice grips on her tightened, bringing tears to her eyes.

She was in trouble.

* * *

Ikuto was annoyed. Here he had finally given in to the urge to see how Amu's father was and no one was home. The house was dark, not a light on in the place. It had been a week since the accident. He'd called her, heard her say that everything was fine, but nagging him in the back of his head was the voice that said that he couldn't trust the voice on the phone. He wouldn't really know how things were unless he could see her. So he set off to go to the one person he figured would know where she was.

Tadase was in his room, doing his homework like the good little prince that he was, blond hair perfectly coiffed even in the privacy of his home. He started when Ikuto entered the room unannounced, but quickly adjusted to the presence of his less than welcome visitor.

"Ikuto."

"You know where Amu is? I wanted to find out how her father's doing." Tadase shrugged.

"You could call her house." Ikuto raised an eyebrow as though to say, _Tried_ _that_. "Nobody home, huh? Well, I guess she must still be at work. Sometimes she has to stay late." He turned back to his homework, not quite dismissing Ikuto's presence. Ikuto was gone before Tadase could change his mind.

Amu's job wasn't far from Tadase's house. It would be easy to go from here to there. Maybe if he hurried he'd get there in time to walk her home. She shouldn't be alone as late as it was. He'd just started the descent downhill when he saw Ami. She was running up the hill, her eyes panicked with four charas following close behind her.

But no Amu.

"Help!" the nine-year-old gasped, reaching him. "The man…Amu…"

"Where?" The girl grabbed his hand and started running back the way she had come.

* * *

Amu was proving to be more of a handful than the man had bargained for. She'd managed make contact with something, loosening his grip somewhat. Not enough for her to escape, but enough that she could fight him a little more. He was trying to get a firmer hold on her and she was having none of it. Desperate, the man pulled his fist back, aiming to rob her of consciousness before she attracted any attention.

"I wouldn't do that." Ikuto hopped down from his perch on the wall, Ami clambering off of his back. The dark haired boy wrapped his slim hand around the other man's slightly more muscular one. "Let her go," he growled. Amu didn't think she'd ever heard him sound so menacing, not even as Death Rebel.

The man was quick to release the girl. She'd proved to be too much trouble, not worth it, so he ran. The sudden removal of the force opposing her sent Amu to the ground. She let out a soft grunt as her butt hit the sidewalk.

"Ow," she muttered.

"Amu?" Ikuto's hands, soft and strong had taken hold of one of hers. He was examining it, or at least pretending to, his eyes flicked up to Amu's. "Are you hurt?" She nodded numbly, trying not to think about what had just happened. Not here. Not in front of Ami, her sister had been scared enough for one night. Seeing her big sister break down under everything would just frighten her more. So Amu said she was fine, and Ikuto sighed in a way that told her knew she was lying. "Let's get you two home," he said, helping her up.

Ami, cheerful now that the scary part was over, latched on to one of Ikuto's hands—much to his chagrin. She prattled on the whole way home about how brave he'd been, not caring that she'd only just met the man. On his other side, Amu was more timid as she slipped her hand into his. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have even considered this. But her mind, now that the danger was over, had temporarily deserted her and since holding Ikuto's hand made her feel safe, she held Ikuto's hand without thinking about what it could mean.

He looked down at her, gauging her expression, which was growing more vacant and indrawn as they got nearer to her home. Her hand holding onto his seemed to be all that was keeping her aware of what was around them. All that held in the terror, angry that it had been repressed when it was most warranted and ready to engulf her if it was given the chance.

Mrs. Hinamori had yet to return home when they got there. Ikuto watched as Amu fumbled for the key and unlocked the door. Reluctantly her little sister let go of his hand and went inside, happy for the safety of home. Not wanting to have to worry about explanations should Amu's mother appear, Ikuto turned to go—and got no further. The small hand had latched weakly onto the back of his jacket, holding him more firmly to that place than a hundred pound rope could.

"Please don't go," she whispered. "I'm—I don't want to be home alone. Could you stay up with me until my mother gets home?" Ikuto started to shake his head. He wasn't quite sure that his presence would be welcome in a house with only two young girls, no matter what the circumstances. The grip on his jacket tightened. Turning, he put a hand on her back and pushed her inside.

"I'll stay till your mom gets home," he said.

* * *

Amu had fallen asleep by the time the tires of the rental car could be heard in the driveway. In truth, she hadn't lasted past getting him something to drink. They'd sat down awkwardly at the kitchen table and she'd almost immediately placed her head on folded arms. She hadn't moved since, her breathing telling him that she'd eventually just conked out. He'd gotten up and called the hospital at that point, trying to see if Mrs. Hinamori was still there or if she'd headed home for the night. Gone was the answer.

The moment he heard the tires, Ikuto had slipped out the front door. Closing it silently so as not to wake Amu. The woman had questioned him with tired eyes, accusation wanted to crowd in, but there was only enough energy in the woman's being for one thought at a time to be there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her words sounding like they would have much rather remained in her mouth. Ikuto opened his mouth to explain.

"It's okay, Mom," came Amu's quiet voice. "I asked him to stay." There was a sharpness in the woman's glance now as she looked at her daughter, the mother in her was tapping into hidden reserves.

"And why did you do that? Again."

"I didn't want to be in the house alone," Amu said, looking down at the ground. The set of her jaw told Ikuto that she wasn't going to worry her mother with what she thought of as unnecessary details.

"Amu—" he began, then sighed. "Stubborn child," he muttered under his breath. He hated being an adult, if for the simple fact that doing the adult thing right now was going to make Amu mad with him. Taking the hand that she had been favoring, Ikuto explained, "The girls had a run in with a pervert on the way home from Amu's job. I happened to be nearby and I stopped him," the words _just in time_ were implied in his breath, Amu didn't catch them but her mother did. Gingerly, he pushed up the sleeve of Amu's jacket and showed the bruises on her arm. "I tried to call you at the hospital but you'd already left. We haven't been here long."

"Amu, oh Amu," her mother said, wrapping her arms around her daughter. Amu's face remained immobile, while her mother's scrunched up to make channels for the tears.

"Mom, I'm fine," Amu said. "He didn't hurt me." Ikuto felt intrusive into this moment, so he started down the street. Leaving the mother to cry over what had almost happened, and the daughter to murmur reassurances to her.

* * *

"Good night, Mom," Amu called down the stairs. The door now shut behind her, Amu was in her private place. Crossing to her balcony she looked outside, of course he wasn't there. Grabbing the curtain, she vehemently closed it.

"Amu-chan, are you alright?" Dia asked, hovering nearby. The other three were clustered behind her.

"I'm fine. Go to sleep," Amu muttered, stripping off her work uniform. Throwing it in a corner she pulled on her pajamas, listening for the sound of snoring charas. Now dressed, Amu went back to the glass door, opening it, like that would make him appear. It didn't so she closed the door. She thought about locking it, but decided against that. At least three of her four charas were daintily sawing at logs when she climbed into bed. A quiet call or two produced no replies and Amu was finally truly alone. And she felt like she was still in danger.

Squeezing her eyes tight, she let the tears come. She'd never been so scared in her life. There was so much that she could handle, that she'd learned to handle with her cool demeanor or her fake smile or a character transformation. None of that could have helped her tonight. She didn't want to think about what might have happened if it hadn't been for Ikuto. The sobs were coming in soft, gasping breaths now. They were all that she could hear, the fear was pounding through her ears. There was a soft touch on her shoulder, and she flew bolt upright in bed. Hands going over her mouth to stop herself from screaming.

The hand was gone quickly. She turned to find Ikuto standing apologetically behind her a few feet. When she said nothing, he sat down next her and took her hand. The tears had never stopped, she could still hear the silent sobbing, but she felt somehow detached. She accepted the arm that Ikuto put around her. His jacket caught her tears and stifled her sobs.

"It's okay. It's okay," he murmured, running his hand through her rosy hair. She cried, he soothed; she quieted, he held; she fell asleep and he was gone when she woke.

* * *

Can I officially say that summer school is the worst? And I'm not talking about some nice, sedate, just a few weeks shorter than the normal semester course. I am talking about six week of reading 100 hundred pages a day, plus writing papers and responses. Yeah, don't take a lit class in the summer. You want the easy going pace of the fall or spring, so that should you have to read a 500 page book you aren't having to do so in four days (which is really annoying actually, considering that I've read longer in two--can anyone say "Hello, Terry Goodkind"?)

Anyways, couple my supreme business with the fact that last months SC had me yelling at a computer and very, very, very mad at Peach Pit, you might see why I've been so bad about posting the new chapter. But I am very happy with them now and the semester is winding down (That and I can't stand reading another page of Tess) so I have a little time to write. Sorry, I wasn't purposefully being evil, it just kinda turnd out that way.

I will remind everyone that this story was start before 42 and 43 came out, so as much as I want to incorporate the most recent stuff, I shall refrain from doing so.

Please R&R.

P.S.- I wrote a long one for you this time. ;D


	10. I Can See You

Amu woke confused as to why she was alone.

_Of course you're alone, silly_.

Although it was the norm, it still felt not quite right. Like something had always been missing, and she was just starting to realize that it wasn't there. She remembered going to bed and then crying and then…

Ikuto scaring her out of her skin.

And then more crying.

Why had she done that. It was stupid letting him see her cry. She never let anyone see that. Except him, twice now. And most of her was fighting the tiny voice that told her it was okay to let someone comfort her. Absently, she wiped her eyes—as though the tears hadn't been dry for hours, as though the tears hadn't been brushed away by the hands that had gently tucked her in after she fell asleep.

This had to stop. She was letting him too far into herself and it scared her. The idea of someone coming inside those walls and being able to truly see behind her outside characters scared her. That would mean change.

And Amu wasn't ready for change.

Nor was she ready for Ikuto to be waiting for her. But he was, just around the corner from her house, leaning against the wall with his typical cat-like grace. Amu turned her eyes to the ground, hoping he hadn't seen her yet and knowing that he would. Sure enough Ikuto fell into step beside her.

They made an odd couple as they walked down the street, Amy doing her best to ignore him and Ikuto waiting wordlessly for her to say something. As the school drew nearer, Amu's step quickened. There was some safety in that place. Ikuto and the strange feelings that had been following with him couldn't get to her when she was with her friends.

"Amu." He stopped and, as though her feet were subconsciously tied to his, she stopped too. "Is something wrong?" Concern. That was what kept bringing him back. He was checking on her. Again the greater voice rebelled. So she shut down.

"I'm fine," she replied, flashing him her biggest, fakest grin. His returning scowl did not shake her determination. She started towards the school again. He glared at her back for a moment, before catching up to pursue his real objective.

"Do you work late tonight?" he asked. He'd wanted to try a more casual approach, but the non-existence of conversation had shot that idea down.

"No," Amu said, shaking her head. Ikuto looked at her, penetrating dark eyes searching for the truth. "I'm off at seven," she said, hoping that that would get him off of her back.

"Ah."

"Amu-chan." The silent charas had caught sight of their friends a little ways down the road. Amu often met up with some of the others this close to school. With a jaunty wave, Amu ran up ahead to her friends, her cheeks turning red even as she refused to look at Ikuto.

*

"Welcome," the jovial man said as Ikuto came through the door. The bell clanged above his head as it closed. The restaurant was cozy, in a modern, Western sort of way. It seemed to be trying to bridge a gap between two cultures. Preserving the customs of the past as best it could while infusing them with the ideas of the new.

"I'm looking for Amu Hinamori," he said. "I'm an old family friend. She was supposed to be getting off soon." The man's face fell. Taking Ikuto by the arm, the older man ushered him off to the side a little. Ikuto could see emotions playing across the man's face as he determined whether or not Ikuto was telling the truth. "Did something happen with her father? Is that why she's not here." The fat man nodded.

"Her mother called right after Amu got here asking to speak to her. The girl was white as ghost after that. I couldn't keep her here after that, even if I had a heart of stone."

"Do you know what happened?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "She tried to explain, but all I needed to know was that it was bad. And her face told me that." Ikuto nodded.

"Thanks." The bell jingled again as he headed out the door and to the hospital.

By the time he got there and found the Hinamori's, the storm appeared to be over. Ami had been redelivered to her friend's house and Mrs. Hinamori sat shakenly holding on to her older daughters hand. Every now and then she would murmur something to the girl and Amu would nod. Doctors still passed in and out of the hospital room, one stopped to give Mrs. Hinamori a reassuring smile and a pat on the shoulder. Broken out of her reverie, she smiled back. No longer feeling like he would be an intruder, Ikuto stepped forward. Both pairs of eyes turned to him. One happy, one cautious.

"Ikuto," Mrs. Hinamori called, waving him over. "I have to go back in with your father dear. Be safe getting home. Maybe Ikuto wouldn't mind walking with you?" Her eyes flashed to his, hoping her didn't mind the suggestion she put to her daughter. After what had happened last night, she seemed to regard him as little more of the family. It felt nice.

"No, ma'am I don't mind." That seemed to dissatisfy Amu to every end. He found it slightly confusing. What was with the fakeness and the walls all over again. Didn't she know that they'd never worked with him?

"It's okay," Amu said. "I've already called Tadase. He was already at Kukai's and he's coming by to walk home with me." Her mother nodded, Ikuto scoffed, Amu glared at him.

"What happened?" Ikuto asked when her mother had reentered the room.

"They had to rush him into surgery. I didn't ask why," she said sitting back down. Casually, Ikuto leaned against the wall across from her. "He's okay now. Doctor said that if he does well tonight, they might be able to take him out of the ICU."

"Ah." Ikuto said. Amu wouldn't look at him, which told him more than she meant to say.

"Hey, Amu!" The girl's face lit up like an incandescent light bulb at Tadase's voice. Too bright and too little if you compared it next to the sun.

"Hey, Tadase-kun," she said grabbing her bag. She was about to dismiss Ikuto, but the man beat her to the punch.

"See ya, Tadase." Ikuto said.

*

He didn't follow them. Her Ikuto-sense wasn't tingling. Not even a blip to tell her that he'd watched them leave the hospital

What was his problem. Couldn't he just leave her alone? Why did he have to poke and prod all the time. She wanted to be able to convince everyone else that things were alright. To convince herself that everything was alright. And he didn't even have the decency to see through her fake smile and realize that that was what she wanted, to be left alone. "I'm fine. I'm dealing. Just give me some alone time to recover." That's what everyone was seeing. That she needed her space, emotionally. Even Ikuto had finally gotten the hint.

So why was it upsetting her? That's what she wanted. To be left alone.

Amu was good at fooling everyone, even herself. There was that tiny voice that was crying that she didn't want to be alone. The voice that was disappointed that he wasn't following them. The voice she had drowned out.

"Night Amu." Tadase called with a jaunty wave. Any apprehension he might have felt over her father's health was gone thanks to the fake smile and the fake talk. He was blind, but she didn't want to think about that. Dropping her things at the door, Amu headed upstairs, ready to hit the sack.

Only her sack was occupied.

"You didn't think you'd gotten rid of me that easily?" Ikuto said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed as she entered.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to reclaim her bed by giving him a violent shove.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said. Amu glared at him.

"I'm fine. My dad is fine. We're all fine, so would you please give me my bed back?" Ikuto stood, using every bit of his height to look down on her in a proper grown up fashion.

"Liar," he said, reaching out to take her hand. Amu snatched it away.

"What? My dad is fine, it looked bad for a little while this evening but he's gonna get better soon. So I'm fine, too."

"You might be able to fool everyone else with that attitude, Ms. Cool-and-Spicy, but not me," he said, leaning closer. "You are most decidedly not fine Amu. You are scared and worried and you're afraid of stopping long enough to think t what might happen and even though you're trying to chase me out of the room right now I know you don't want to be alone." Amu stared up at him, her golden eyes widening. "I can see you Amu, I see who you are under all of it and I know it's a mask. You can fool your friends but you can't fool me." Ikuto was bent over so far that their noses were almost able to touch. Her breath caught in her throat. "Amu…" _I love you._ She sat down on her bed, eyes on her shoes. With a sigh, Ikuto turned away. There wasn't much he could do if she was going to shut him out. He stopped. A hand was attached to the weathered hem of his jacket.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

"I know." Sitting down next to her, Ikuto placed his arm around her shoulder. Amu reached, paused, and finally slid her hand into his as the tears silently tracked down her face. "Shh. It's okay. I've got you." Amu nodded. Her cheek found a resting place against the rough denim of his jacket, soaking it thoroughly over the next several minutes.

With a sniff, Amu sat back up. Scrubbing at her face she thanked him.

"Anytime," he replied. _I love you._ "Better?"

"Yeah," she murmured. Her hand left his to smooth her hair, undoing all the careful dishevelment she'd out into that morning.

"Then I'd better go," he said. Standing, he looked about to head for the door, but turned back before taking a step. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "Call me if you need anything." Then he was gone.

For a few moments, all thoughts of her father and the hospital and all the bad that had happened to her in the last week were gone. All that occupied her mind was the last thirty seconds. What was with that? What had just happened?

* * *

Teehee...This is making me happy. Sorry it took me so long to put this up I had to recover my train of thought. It's still not all I thought it would be, but I know I'm never retrieving those ideas. Not for this story at least. Ah well, I'm happy with the result. And don't worry the final chapter is all written and typed up. I'm going to go post it now. Yes, I love you all that much--I won't delay the release just to stretch my ratings out into the week.

Please R&R though...or next time I'll make my lovely veiwers wait...Mwahahahahaha!!!!!


	11. Hello Again

Two Years Later

"Amu! Smile!" Holding up her diploma, Amu posed for her father. The shot was messed up as she was grabbed from behind and swung her around. She laughed screamingly.

"Kukai! Put me down before my mom kills you for messing up the picture."

"Look at you! Graduated and headed off to college." Amu hugged him, spinning the both of them back around so that her dad could snap a photo as they were joined by her other guardian friends. She laughed. Everyone was here.

Well, almost everyone. One person was still missing.

_Saturday morning dawned dark and cloudy for most of Tokyo. But for Amu, the sun was shining. Her father was finally home from the hospital. But it was hectic with everyone wanting to come and see him and wishing him well. So she'd slipped out the door and headed to the park. _

"_I should have know you were around her somewhere," Ikuto said, coming up behind her. "The clouds are fleeing in terror—or deference—not sure which."_

"_My dad is out of the hospital," Amu cried. Excitement taking hold, she flung her arms around the young man. It was an act inspired by contagious joy and took him entirely by surprise. "Ikuto?" Shaking himself, he hugged her back._

"_I figured as much," he whispered into her ear. Amu's face was so close he could feel the heat coming off of it as she realized how close they were. Awkwardly she let go of his neck and slid to the ground. AS her feet touched the ground, something in Amu told her that she didn't really want to move away—so she didn't. But he did, half turning from her to hide his face._

"_Sorry."_

"_Ikuto," she started. Being around him made the last few weeks more bearable. Almost seemed to fix things in her heart. And she wanted him to stay around, not go off like he was planning to do in a few days. She grabbed his sleeve, turning him back to. "Do you have to go? I…I like having you around." _If I could be by Ikuto's side…_ The young man reached out, brushing the backs of his fingers across her cheek._

"_Yeah. I have to go."_

"_Why?" she asked._

"_Sheesh Amu. It's not like I'm going that far. You can always call. And you know I'll be back."_

"_Only halfway around the world!" _And I don't want you to go anywhere._"I want you to stay. With me. Ikuto," she begged. Wide eyes turned to her. She grabbed at his hand, pulling it back to her cheek. The small distance between them closed before either of them knew what was going on. They hovered there, lips almost touching, and then Amu dove in for her first kiss. _

"_Amu," he cracked out. "This is why. You're sixteen."_

"_And?"_

"_And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm twenty-one. If I was Tadase's age, sure fine. But I'm not. I don't want…"_

"_I want to be with you, Ikuto. I love you." The dark-haired boy pressed his forehead against hers. _

"_Do you? Or is it just all this and you being an impressionable high-schooler. I'm not gonna be one of those guys. So I have to stop this." Amu thought about pulling away. 'I love you' were supposed to be the magic words. They were in the manga. Those were supposed to be the words that made people stay with you. But thought of pulling away when he would be going away soon hurt more. "For now."_

"_What?"_

"_I will be back. And you can call me anytime you need me," Ikuto said. His hand came to tilt her eyes to meet his. The tears were waiting to spill over. "Everyone has to grow up sometime. And trust me, on the day that you know what you want Amu I will be right there. I'll be waiting for that day, and if you'll let me, I want to try this for real." Sniffing, Amu nodded._

"_I'll be waiting for you," she whispered. Ikuto wrapped his arms around her._

"_I hope so," he said, kissing the top of her head. "C'mon. It's nice day now, let's walk around a bit." Taking her hand, he began to stroll with her down the path park._

"So, I hear your going to college in London. Care to share why?" Kukai asked as they walked around the school ground.

"Not really," Amu muttered. Her eyes too busy searching the crowd.

There was no warning this time. Her charas had been gone for awhile now. And so had his. But still, something in her knew he was watching. "Excuse me." She slipped away from her friend, trying to get to a place where she could see what was going on, where she'd be able to look past all the heads and shoulders that were blocking her view.

Standing still, Amu closed her eyes. Trying to listen for that sixth sense. She turned around with a smile.

"Ikuto," she breathed. There he was smiling on the sidelines. He raised a hand and mouthed his characteristic 'Yo', knowing she'd seen him. The crowd didn't exactly part between them like in the movies, but Amu managed to squeeze between people. She would have resorted to pushing if she'd had to.

"Ikuto!" she cried, struggling past the last few human obstacles.

"Hello again." His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans. "Heard you're coming to London."

"Yep."

"Guess it's a good thing the London Symphony Orchestra wants to keep me around then," he grinned. He stepped closer, removing the graduation cap perched precariously on her head. "You sure about this Amu?" he asked. She smiled. She could have used words. Could have explained it in a monologue that would have landed her a spot in Broadway show. Instead, she bobbed up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"I've missed you," she said instead. Ikuto reached out, bringing her lips to his again for just a brief instant. "I love you. I think I have since I was twelve."

"And I love you, Amu Hinamori." Her parents knew why she wanted to go to London. When she'd realized that's what she wanted she explained it to them, telling them exactly why. After all, the degree was the same whether she got it here or halfway across the world. Her mom seemed to have known even before she opened her mouth. Her father on the other hand had needed time to get used to the idea.

"Come on, let's go find your parents," he said. Slipping his hand in hers, he guided her back through the crowd.

Neither spoke the words, but they knew what the other was thinking.

_I want to be with you always._

_

* * *

_And there you go! I think it's pretty awesome...although I'm sure Peach Pit has something even better planned. But this will keep me happy for awhile.. Guess I should go finish RK soon now. So, please, please, lemme know what you think. And take a peek at some of my older stuff. The world isn't all Amuto you know ;D There's all kinds of othe fun stuff (like LoVe--if you don't know what this means I'm sorry, if you do...just wait I'll have a story for us LoVe-rs someday!)

R&R please


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